Bits & Bytes and Bunnies, too
by ShirQuickpaw
Summary: Inspired by their actions and belief in what Zootopia can be, a young serval has followed his heart and joined the ZPD. Being assigned to not just Precinct One, the young cat finds himself being mentored by his very idols. As Chris Longpaw begins to learn more about Nick and Judy, all three are dragged into another hellbent for leather adventure! (Rated T for situations)
1. Chapter 1

**Bits & Bytes … and Bunnies, too**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ Disney owns all the original characters and all rights to Zootopia and it's universe. This is a work of fan-fiction.

 **Author Note:**

 **Before we embark on the journey this story will tell, I really want to thank Selaxes, whose words and stories encouraged me to start on this project. Without him I wouldn't have attempted this and he also agreed to help me out as a mentor and editor. Thank you for your kind and wonderful support.**

 **Further I want to add that this story would be after Selaxes story "Cry for the children" accepting the events in his story-arc starting with "Nothing to fear" through "Cry for the children" as canon events in regard to my story. This is with permission of Selaxes as author of said stories.**

 **There will be a few references to events in those stories, so I recommend people to read those great tales.**

Chapter 1

"Attention!"

The loud proclamation heralding the entry of Chief Bogo rattled the young officer out of his thoughts. Chris Longpaw was a serval, a smaller wildcat with markings similar to a cheetah, but more prominent markings in his face and larger ears – ears that were twice again as high as his head, now focusing towards the front of the room. He was also the newest addition to the police force of the ZPD's 1st precinct. The newest rookie fresh out of the Academy joining his fellow officers in the bullpen for the first time.

Chris knew he was nervous. Very nervous. With all the telltale signs of his species in the form of a trembling and lashing tailtip and erect ears scanning the area like radar bowls, it would take only a small noise or unexpected movement to have the wildcat jump out of his fur. His gaze went over the towering form of the cape buffalo and felt himself gulp. Chief Bogo had the reputation of being a hard-to-please boss, especially towards rookies, and Chris felt pangs of fear gripping his stomach.

The Academy had been hard on the smaller cat. Roughly a little bit taller than a fox, mostly because of his comparably long legs and arms and almost rabbit tall ears, he couldn't compete in sense of brawn and strength with his fellow students. His physical advantages where fast reflexes, agility and precises pounces, which gave him advantages with smaller or same size mammals, but not with anyone bigger. To this day he tried to find out how Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde had mastered this hurdle in their education. He had heard that Judy had defeated a Rhino while sparring, which only raised her eminence in the feline's eyes, but it was something he failed regularly to do. He scored enough points in the physical test to pass, but excelled in all things theory and research. His natural predisposition to wait, observe and pounce, plus an uncanny talent with electronics made him a computer whiz and let him finish in all those courses top of the class.

Chris' ears twitched nervously as he noticed that the whole room had gotten totally quiet. He felt all the blood rushing towards his face and ears, letting them shine like reddish-pink beacons, when he noticed that all officers and the chief's eyes and attention were directly on him. His woolgathering about his Academy time had made him miss the chief addressing him or introducing him. His eyes wandered over the faces of his fellow officers, most with a barely hidden amusement about his situation, or angrily clouded like the chief's. He raised a paw slightly from the now desperately held pad in front of him and tried to fix a shy smile on his muzzle. His usually purring mellow voice sounded like a mouse as he squeaked a careful "Hello!" which only resulted into everyone starting laughing and turning their attention back towards Bogo, who at this point was rubbing the bridge between his eyes as to ward off an upcoming headache.

With a sigh, that echoed the years long struggle of dealing with rookies and mammals under his command, Chief Bogo continued: "Officer Longpaw, as I was about to say, you'll be partnered with Officer Wilde for today's patrol of the Savanna Central." He held up a hoof, "Shut it, Wilde! No smart ass remark changes the fact that you will, and have to do, shifts with rookies. And I don't care about your objections!"

Chris noticed that the fox and the rabbit in the first row turned their heads to look at each other and started to silently discuss something, while the chief continued his role call. The wildcat felt hot and cold shivers running over his body. True, he had expected to be partnered to an experienced officer, that was the usual case for a rookie. True, that partnering him with someone his own size made even more sense, but he still felt shell-shocked that his partner for today's shift would be Nick Wilde. The Nick Wilde, ZPD's first and only fox officer so far, partner and husband to ZPD's first and only rabbit officer. Heroes of the city for the solving of the Night Howler Case, public celebrities for being the spokespersons of prey-pred relationships. The list went on and on in Chris' mind as he stared at the backs of his two heroes, the two very reasons why he had tried for the Academy to become a cop. To follow the example those two had set to make the Zootopian dream a reality, to make a change for the better, to show that everyone could be everything with everyone.

Again woolgathring Chris missed the end of role call and everyone leaving the bullpen, only to wake up out of his thoughts when he suddenly was face to face with his heroes. In front of him stood Judy Hopps-Wilde and Nick Wilde, the first with an open smile, the other with half smirk, half smile under hooded eyes, that seemed to be a trademark for the fox as most pictures and posters showed him with that look. Most of them, except those where he was looking at his partner and wife, when that sarcastic smirk was replaced by expressions of love and adoration. The feline slipped half graceful, half clumsy from the big chair he had been sitting on and now stood in front of them. The rabbit stretched her paw out towards him with a radiant smile that brightened the room:

"Hi, I'm Officer Judy Hopps-Wilde, Judy to my colleagues. Welcome to the ZPD! I am happy to have you join us on the force, Officer Longpaw!"

Chris clutched his pad tightly to his chest in a sudden rush of increased nervousness. Slowly he extended his paws and shook the offered paw of the rabbit officer. "H-hi. It…it is really an honor to meet you Officer Hopps-Wilde, eh … Judy. You … you and your partner represent everything this department and city is about. Really you are an inspiration to us other mammals to try and be better..." he continued to shake her paw as he rambled on.

He was interrupted by a amused snort from the fox who had watched the scene so far silently, his sardonic smile always staying on his muzzle, "Whoa! Now kid, tone down on the hero worship a little bit. True, this glorious couple saved the city once or twice, but that is nothing more than you would have done in our place." He winked in humor towards his wife, "You know, Carrots, this assignment might even turn out to be fun, when I will receive adoration and praise from the rookie I am supposed to show the ropes. Don't you think?"

This brought him a cuff in the side from his rabbit partner, who had freed her paw from the continued shaking. "Nick, be nice!"

She turned her attention back towards the feline in front of her. "He's right, you know. You made it through the Academy and into the 1st precinct. That alone shows your drive and determination. Given the chance you would have done, and will do, the same as we did, making Zootopia a better and safer place." The smile she gave him once more eclipsed the room's illumination and Chris felt he had difficulties to swallow the lump in his throat. The fox again broke the somewhat awkward situation in starting to leave the room. "Come along, kid. We have to get our tails on the road! I'm not keen of our dear Chief Buffalo Butt finding us here loitering about and reassigning us to papercut detail instead."

They followed Nick into the big foyer to Clawhauser's desk, Judy next to her partner, Chris somewhat dragging behind, again self-consciously clutching his pad to his chest, too tongue tied to say or add anything more. His tail was lashing behind him and his ears a bit drooping as he watched the couple ahead of him chatting about plans for the day after work. It seemed so normal, so totally natural and so totally impossible at the same time. A rabbit and a fox acting so close next to each other, being partners, being married. Each time he thought about it, now even seeing it right before his eyes, Chris had trouble understanding it. It went against everything and still was so wonderful.

"Hey, kid!" The cat looked to the fox who had reached the front-desk and had turned around to him. "Want to fill our names before we leave on patrol. What is yours again?"

The feline smiled shyly, "It's Chris! Chris Longpaw!"

~o~

 _Reviews and constructive critics are of course always welcome._


	2. Chapter 2

**Bits & Bytes … and Bunnies, too**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ Disney owns all the original characters and all rights to Zootopia and it's universe. This is a work of fan-fiction.

Chapter 2

With a soft snap Nick closed the police cruiser door behind himself. The fox had returned from fetching both passengers large cups of coffee, now that they had parked their cruiser downtown central plaza next to the view dominating central station. They had made their first round through the downtown district and now were taking a short break. Chris watched as his senior partner settled back into the driving seat, making himself comfortable, all the while balancing the cup-tray with their coffees in one paw. The cat felt himself shrink back several times when it seemed like the content of styrofoam containers would splatter over one or both of them. Finally Nick had settled back down the way he wanted to passed one of the cups to Chris.

"Here, kid. I didn't know how exactly you would like your coffee...", Nick had left the feline back in the car without much of an explanation except a short "Stay!" and "Wait!" when he went fetching the coffee, "... so I got you one the same way Ben, I mean Officer Clawhauser would like it. Lotsa cream and sugar."

Chris shuddered when he heard the description, almost enough to drop the cup when he was handed to him. His reflexes saved he and Nick from a hot and wet accident on their legs, catching the cup quickly when it slipped through his fingers. Mumbling first a curse for his continued nervousness and clumsiness, he produced a shy smile towards the other mammal again.

"Th-thank you, Nick. I really appreciate the gesture. But ...", he took a careful sip from the cup and shuddered again when everything he had already feared came true. "But I really don't like sugar in my coffee. I'm sorry, the cream is wonderful, but the sugar ..." Chris couldn't stop the grimace building on his muzzle.

He stared at the cup, undecided what to do with it. On the one paw, he told himself, there really wasn't any way he could drink this over-sweet concoction, on the other paw he didn't want to disappoint the mammal who had provided him with it, especially not _him_. As his eyes darted from the cup to the fox on the seat next him and back, his inner turmoil was visible like an open book. Chris felt suddenly a paw on his shoulder, prompting him to turn his attention to his partner.

"It's okay, kid. Don't worry about drinking it, if the coffee isn't to your taste. I won't mind and I also could have asked in the first place." Nick grinned his trademark smile and winked towards the feline. "I certainly won't think less of you because you don't like the coffee I provide." He settled back into his seat, dropped his shades back over his eyes and took a sip from his own coffee. "Now, if Judy had fetched the coffee, then you would have to worry."

Chris felt the blood drain from his face and a cold clump forming in his stomach. He almost dropped the cup again. "Really?" he blurted out. "She would be ..." he stopped and starred at the fox, who couldn't keep the laughter hidden with the cat's so obvious shock and reaction. "You … you tricked me, am I right?"

Nick was still trying to contain his laughter. He turned towards the rookie, lifted his shades, so he could meet the other eye to eye and said warm tone. "Kid, I already told you to tone down the hero worship. We are all partners in this and you don't have to prove yourself on a 24/7 basis as long as you try your best. This is your first day after all. And how you like your coffee has nothing to do with our job and no one will be angry, or sorry, if you tell them no."

Chris nodded and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He knew that Nick was right, but he also knew that he would feel like a failure if he disappointed any of them, especially Nick or Judy. After a second deep breath he mumbled "To be honest, I always prefer a strong tea to coffee anyway."

Nick barked a laugh, "Good to know, kid, good to know!"

A comfortable silence dropped over them while Nick nursed on his coffee, keeping a lazy eye on the life outside the car, watching the various mammals rushing over the plaza into the station or streaming out of it towards their destinations unknown. Chris had turned his attention fully back on his pad, opening up the newest version of an app he had developed, testing the idea for the first time live. In front of his eyes a map formed on the tablet's screen, with the central plaza and station centered in the middle and the streets leading to and from around it. Slowly more and more wandering dots appeared on the streets as his app evaluated the data it received from the ZPD's headquarters and the traffic control system. The serval felt a burst of elation running through him and his suppressed shout of victory brought the attention of the fox fully on him.

"What are ye doing, kid?" Nick leaned over to look at the other's tablet screen, watching the animated graphic on it.

"Just a small app I've written. Tested it for the first time today. It takes the data from the traffic cameras and traffic light sensors, combines it with the automobile GPS signals our ZPD server receives and creates a live animation of the current traffic." Chris pointed to one moving dot on the screen, then out of the car to another vehicle just crossing the street next to them. "This dot is that car, see how it now moves down the street?"

Nick watched the indicated dot on the pad before throwing glances at the car outside. "So you're saying that all these dots on the street-map represent the real current traffic around us and that you can monitor and pinpoint single cars the way they travel?" The fox stared at the other mammal in the car.

Chris shrugged and nodded. "Yes, that is correct so far. The app isn't limited on the area where we are in the moment. I can look at any given district where the ZPD has traffic control installed and online signals of the vehicles can be received."

Nick continued to stare. "And you have written this on your own, just as a fun project? Kid, do you know the potential you have there? Though, I'm also sure that certain mammals in the ZPD shouldn't be made aware of this app here. The chief comes to mind."

The feline froze with the last words said. Throwing one worried glance to his tablet and then back to Nick. "What do you mean? Why shouldn't Chief Bogo know about this?"

"Just think, kid. I don't think it's fully legal to use the available data the way you do. As far as I remember to gain access to the cameras or the car GPS data you need a warrant. I am also pretty sure that they are not freely available as you let it appear." Nick looked at the rookie with a serious expression, the serval wilting slowly under the extended gaze.

After a while of uncomfortable silence, Chris started to squirm and admitted, "Okay, you're right, I had to hack the database to gain access, once that was done, I could acquire all the needed data for the app. But it works and I am sure it will be a benefit to us out here..."

The fox continued his severe look at the other mammal, clearly thinking the whole situation fully through. Chris started to squirm more and more under the gaze, already starting to curse himself several times and feeling deflated to disappoint the other officer so quickly. "If you wish, I delete the app and close the system backdoor I used. That should be done anyway, as I'm not the only one that could find the way into the system that way" he mumbled quietly.

After another minute of silent staring, Nick finally answered. "No, I think we should keep it for now. But we really need to keep a lid on this. Tell no one else about it, especially not Judy or the Chief. They are far too much by the book to be able to ignore it. It also worries me that you found a backdoor so easily into the ZPD's databases. With all the inside work during that children slave case, our security should have improved."

"Well, once we're back at headquarters, I can check for security holes, if you want. It's only something I need a direct access to the system for." Chris said in a quiet voice, before he abruptly raised a paw, his eyes glued to his pad's screen. Then he pointed to one fast moving dot one parallel street to theirs. "You see that? That car is at least 20 miles above the speed limit."

The fox nodded and started the cruiser. Switching the sirens on he quickly went on an intercept course with the speeder, with which the notorious app helped a lot. Running all the scenarios through his mind again, Nick couldn't say if this would bite his tail in the future or not.

~o~

 _ **Reviews and constructive critics are of course always welcome.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Bits & Bytes … and Bunnies, too**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ Disney owns all the original characters and all rights to Zootopia and it's universe. This is a work of fan-fiction.

Chapter 3

Accomplished. This is what Chris felt when at the end of the day he returned from his very first patrol as a ZPD officer. With something akin to pride he followed Nick into the big foyer, though he had to keep himself stopping to touch his sore muzzle. His fur still sported traces of the nosebleed, a result of his muzzle meeting the concrete while apprehending a fugitive pickpocket.

~o~

After they had caught the speeder, a chagrined mammal, who didn't resist his capture and the speed ticket handed over to him by the two officers, they resumed their patrol of the Savannah district.

Chris was brooding over his app, while Nick drove their round through the district. Despite the fox's earlier reprimand, Chris was still wondering if it were possible to expand the app. The available data would allow it to show all the smartphones in the area in the same way the vehicles would. He wouldn't even have to crack the backdoor further open for it, as half of his existing program already used the correct database for it. He didn't use the smartphone signals till now because it would swarm the screen, but if he could add a filter to show either the traffic or the smartphone signals minus those of a car... That would work. He reached behind to retrieve his laptop from behind his seat, fired it up and started the programming environment he used to program the app.

This caught the attention of the officer next to him and with a glance to the side Nick said, "What are ye doin' now, kid? Trying to dig yourself a deeper hole with that little piece of technical marvel?"

The serval felt his face and ears flush with embarrassment and had the honesty to look guilty with Nick's words. Sighing he look to the older officer, his fingers resting on the keyboard of his laptop. "Nick, I ..."

"Save it, kid. I get you. I even agree that your little program there has its use. But you do have to realize that, if I understood correctly what you've told me, that this little program is working on data you shouldn't have access to and using this data without proper authorization is against the rules." Nick was looking for a place where he could park the cruiser. After he had stopped the car and turned off the motor, he turned his full attention back on the cat on the passenger seat. Chris sat there like a kitten whose paw had been found in the cookie jar, ears drooping and his whole posture one of defeat.

"Look," Nick said, "I think the basic idea is great and with the proper paperwork I firmly believe this will find its use inside certain operations." Nick laid a paw on Chris' shoulder and shook his head. "Chris, this is your first day and already ..." The fox stopped and looked a bit ruefully at the serval again shaking his head.

"When we return to the station, while I type our reports for the day, I want you to close that access point into the ZPD database you use. You're a great kid and I'm sure you'll do great in our job. You don't need this way to prove your worth to us. Not to me, not to Judy, not to Chief Buffalo Butt. Just do your job like all of us and it will be enough."

Chris looked at the fox and felt his eyes watering up. He bit his lower lip and ran a paw over his head and fully laid back ears. He was trying to say something, anything, but heard his voice breaking before he even started.

Nick smiled his sardonic smile to the younger mammal. "You're okay, kid. I hope the guys at the Academy noticed how good you are with the computers. If they did, I'm pretty sure, you will be reassigned to the tech wizards after the minimum amount of street work. The ZPD can't waste talent like that."

The serval whispered in reply, his eyes again focused on the laptop screen in front of him. "But I want to be out there. I want to make a difference like you and Officer Hopps. I don't feel I would do that just out of a lab..." His words were almost inaudible.

The fox fluffed through the young officer's fur. "Now, that all said, what did you want to do to your little program there. Show me what you got!" He winked his eyebrows to Chris and grinned even more.

Chris sighed and returned his somewhat haunted gaze towards Nick. "I wanted to add current cell phone locations to the map. The data is already there with the GPS data of the vehicles." He snorted in grim humor. "I wouldn't even need to gain more access than I already have." The feline paused in his explanation, taking in another deep breath. "It would indicate all active smartphones in the shown area of the map."

Nick shook his head in disbelieve. How could this kid produce such tools, such powerful weapons of technology. "You sure you can do that?"

The serval nodded, "Shouldn't be so hard. The routines are already there, just need to parse through another part of the database, the rest is already done for the program as it is."

The fox nodded. "Start on it, kid! Even when we shut down your access tonight, I would like to see this baby working before."

Chris chuckled bitterly. "Okay, sir, Officer Wilde, sir!"

Nick laughed "Now, don't get smart with me, kid! Mammals better than you have tried that and failed."

He started the engine again and resumed their tour through the district, while Chris concentrated on his program, adding to and changing it. After they had finished the circuit, the serval noticed that they had stopped at the same place next to central plaza, where they had a break earlier.

"No coffee for me, please!" He quickly added, when Nick was leaving the cruiser like in the morning and the fox nodded in reply.

The feline finished the changes and ran the compile and upload procedure. Mumbling to himself, "Now let's see..." he restarted the app on his tablet and selected the new tab for the map. Quickly the map filled with dots all over the place each one a smartphone in use. Again he felt the rush of elation for a project goal reached. He shut down his laptop and pushed it back into his pack. Stretching his sore muscles he also opened his door and slipped out of the car, taking a deep breather of the fresh air. The tablet still in one paw with the program running he looked over central plaza with all the activity of a late afternoon.

Nick returned with his coffee and both stood next to the cruiser, each on their respective side. Chris held the tablet up and nodded.

"It's ready!"

But before the fox could react to that, both their attention was caught by a hurriedly running weasel, who slipped through the masses followed by the cries of a mammal, accusing the weasel of the theft of her purse. Both officers immediately started chase the culprit, Nick gripping his radio, announcing their pursuit to dispatch.

Chris was initially ahead in the chase, gaining quickly on the fleeing weasel, but his speed was only sprint based, not made for long term chases. So after one block running after their quarry, he started to fall back, Nick passing him, clearly getting out of breath. He got slower and slower, but started to take a look on his tablet and could clearly make out the quick moving dots of Nick and the weasel and their smartphones. Watching the course they seem to take, he took his radio and said:

"Nick, I know where he is going. I will cut his route! You just keep on going after him."

With that he ran into the next alley, trying hard to ignore the pains in his side. If his tablet showed him correctly, he had to run down this alley, take a left, short right and at the end he could almost wait for the weasel to appear. Totally out of breath he reached that point. While gasping he glanced around the corner and saw the weasel running directly towards him. He gripped his tranq-gun and positioned himself as he had been taught in the Academy.

"Hold! You are under arrest!"

The weasel didn't stop. He ran directly into the young officer, tackling him to the side. Chris only felt a hard shove to his side and ribs, before his muzzle greeted the concrete of the street intimately. Groaning with the sudden pain in his nose and muzzle, he tried to get back on his feet, seeing the weasel scrambling on and with a last effort pounce he tried to grip the other's legs. He only succeeded halfway, but delayed their quarry long enough for Nick to catch up and subdue the weasel.

While Nick read the weasel his rights, handcuffed him and asked for transport via radio, Chris carefully wiped his muzzle and nose, wincing at the tender spots and noticing that his nose was bleeding by now. He fished in his pockets for a handkerchief and pressed it against his nose, cursing under his breath with the pulsing pain this caused.

~o~

Chris had followed up Nick to the front-desk, still occupied by Benjamin Clawhauser. The fox was already chatting with the cheetah over the day's event.

"And so our rookie already has his first hands-on experience of a hot chase." he proclaimed to Clawhauser, turning slightly to Chris and grinned at the serval "... and also received his own first badge of battle, a bloody nose."

The serval grimaced, which caused new waves of pain through his bruised muzzle. "Very funny, sir. I think I would have liked to refrain from that honor."

The fox laughed and gave the cat a friendly slap on the shoulder, "Why, I can't imagine, why you would say that. Those badges are a great honor for any honest officer on the force."

Chris' face said more than any words, what he thought of that comment - "Really?!"

~o~

 _ **Reviews and constructive critics are of course always welcome.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Bits & Bytes … and Bunnies, too**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ Disney owns all the original characters and all rights to Zootopia and it's universe. This is a work of fan-fiction.

Chapter 4

Chris was squinting his eyes and worrying his lower lip as he ran through the code of the security protocols. Sitting opposite of Nick Wilde at the desk usually shared by Judy and her husband, the serval was staring intently at the screen. After their chat with Benjamin Clawhauser, Nick had told him with a stern expression that they still had to do their reports and that he would not do that kind of work for both of them.

"Come on, kid! Reports don't get filled out by themselves! And you have your share of them." The fox led Chris to the cubicles that held the desks for the officers. Sitting down at one, starting the PC there, Nick pointed to the opposite side of the desk.

"Sit down there and do the job we talked about earlier, kid. I hope Judy's PC will give you enough access for it."

The serval sat down on the indicated chair and looked over the neat desk in front of him. Chris could see Judy's personality in the tidied up desk with no records or files lying around loose, all pens and pencils neatly stacked before the monitor, the mouse and keyboard out of the way, but in close reach. In direct contrast to the other side of the desk, where Nick was typing on his keyboard. The side of the desk, that belonged to the fox, could be best described as ordered chaos. Folders, records and files lay open or closed, stacked or single over each other, the fox in the center of it with the keyboard directly in front of him, typing from his notebook. Still it seemed that Nick knew exactly where everything was and that he could get a specific report out of any given folder if he needed to.

Chris sighed with a small smile on his face and switched on the PC on his side. He reflected on the day he had spent on duty with the fox, one of his heroes. Nick had treated him as one of the team, as a partner, never condescending to the rookie. Same as Judy, in the short time they had seen each other in the morning. Now he was sitting opposite of his hero, on the seat usually reserved for her, the one mammal that started the change with her open, energetic way and with her zeal for life. Chris knew he put Judy on a pedestal which was probably much higher than reality warranted, but in a way she personified everything the young serval thought worth emulating.

The PC had finally booted up and asked for the login credentials. Chris tried his login from the Academy and to his shock it worked. A frown formed on his muzzle as this showed even a more lax security setting for the ZPD systems than he had feared. Yes, both the Academy and the precincts used the same databases and system setup as several server-farms all over the city. But his login from the Academy should only have worked from an Academy workstation, not from a ZPD general terminal. Chris didn't get his credentials as part of force yet, so he shouldn't be able to access the system through here. His little app used the Academy's server front-end for its access to the database.

Quickly he started to list the several security protocols and logs and began parsing through the code, looking again for the block he had used for his backdoor. At the same time he was cross checking the log-files to see who else might have used this access entry to the system beside his app. Chris cursed as he could see several remote logins using the same routines as his app and they started way before his app had been finalized. He could clearly identify the first tests he had with the app while still at the Academy and then today during their patrol. But there were others, lots of others.

The feline browsed through the logs, looking for the information that would give him a lead to trace the origin. While Nick hacked on his keyboards for their reports, Chris was chasing elusive traces and bits of data. He knew, that the first setup had to be on a real terminal, one real workstation of the ZPD or the Academy. After that, this first setup could be used as backdoor for remote login.

Finally he found the ID of the workstation that had been used for this first setup. His own attempts for the setup at the Academy giving him the hints what to look for. Chris called up the list of registered workstation and found that the terminal was stationed in a warehouse in Tundra Town with one of the server-farms. He ground his teeth and looked up to the fox opposite from him.

"Nick? We're in trouble."

The fox stopped his typing and gazed at the serval with a questioning look. Raising an eyebrow his typical smirk started to grace his muzzle. "Kid, I don't even know how it feels, not to be in trouble. You find your mate like I've found Carrots, I mean Officer Hopps …" Nick winked again.

Chris had to chuckle at the carefree attitude of the fox, but sobered up quickly. "Nick, I mean it." He sighed, "Look, You wanted me to close the backdoor I used for my app. While checking the security protocols, I found I wasn't the only one using that backdoor. And it wasn't setup here or the Academy. A terminal in an unmanned server-farm in Tundra Town was used."

The serval stood up and leaned forward to be close to the cop "Someone not on the force is repeatedly using our databases." He looked down "We need to look into that!"

Nick nodded slowly, his smirk vanished. He took in the cop opposite of him, this rookie on his first day, this tech wizard, who now said … "So you are telling me, we need to look into this…this other access to our database. So what are you suggesting we should do about it, as I have no idea where to start? This is usually more the playground of the techies..."

Chris deflated. He shook his head and produced a weary smile. "I have no idea, but maybe we'll find further leads at the warehouse?" He shrugged with an innocent smile.

The fox started to rub the bridge between his eyes, "So you want us to go to that warehouse, which lies in the coldest part of town, in Tundra Town. Just us two, after our shift is official over..." Nick grimaced and groaned. "I'll never hear the end of this with Carrots." he said in a more quiet voice.

"You'll never hear the end of what, Slick?"

Nick turned on the spot still sitting on his office chair towards his wife not missing a beat "Carrots! I was about to say that I would never hear the end of it from you when I would follow my impulse and make our rookie here my new permanent partner on the beat." He smiled warmly at the rabbit who stood there with a frowning face, her right hind-paw thumping the floor.

"He was really an inspiration to work with today, Carrots, and I wouldn't mind to continue this partnership...if...if I hadn't already got the best partner in the whole of Zootopia."

Judy Hopps-Wilde snorted in disbelieve. She threw a quick glance to Chris, still sitting at her desk, his jaw hanging open as if it had hit the desk in shock. "Nickolas Piberius Wilde, are you trying to hustle your own wife? Once more?"

Nick stood up and opened up his arms towards his wife, his face an expression of hurt innocence. "Ouch, Carrots! You hurt me, you hurt me deeply! Would I do that to you? Would I lie to you?"

The rabbit lifted a finger to her chin in a gesture of deep thought "Hmm, would you lie to me? Why, yes! Yes, you would, if you thought it would be better, that I don't know the truth."

Her husband raised an eyebrow and smiled his trademark smile, but before he could say anything, Judy raised one paw to stop him.

"Stuff it, Slick! I think I want to hear the story from our rookie. I have the feeling I'll get a more honest account of it."

Chris had followed the exchange silently, still slack-jawed. This woke him up out of his shocked stupor. His eyes had wandered between the two mammals during their exchange. Now with Judy's attention fully on him, he snapped to attention, jumping off his chair, causing it to whip back against the cubicle wall. The serval cringed when his ears caught the sound of the drywall denting.

"Officer Hopps... Judy", he quickly corrected himself when he saw the annoying cloud over her face. "I was asking Officer Wilde, if we could look into a security breach into the ZPD databases, I found. This would mean to investigate the status of one of our remote server installations, which is located in a warehouse in Tundra Town."

Judy shook her head. "This sounds a more likely story, but Nick wouldn't have tried his story if this was all. So, Chris, would you like to expand on your explanations?" she asked in a sweet voice, that made Nick wince for a second.

Chris threw a desperate glance towards Nick, who only shrugged silently. Though this small gesture said it all; _'You're on your own, kid. I warned you about telling Judy everything and you still chose that path.'_ Chris eyes had returned towards Judy, who clearly was waiting on an answer and sighed deeply.

' _So, this is how my first and obviously last day on the force ends.'_ he told himself inside his head. With a defeated look full of sorrow he looked the rabbit officer into the lavender eyes.

With a very quiet but distinct voice he said, "What he tried to hide from you, is that I found this security breach while I was trying to close a similar breach and delete evidence of that similar breach. A breach I created as a data access for a program I wrote which I thought would be a great tool for the ZPD, a little project I started while still on the Academy."

Judy's eyes had grown wide as she listened to the serval's confession, her expression one of disbelief. "What program? What are you talking about?"

Chris sighed deeply again. He fetched his pad and walked over to the bunny. He held the pad so she could see the screen and started the app. "A program that with the traffic cameras and the vehicles' GPS data creates an accurate online animation. Today I extended the program to allow the same kind of animation to show any online smartphones in an area. We used this part of the program to catch that weasel today."

The rabbit's look swapped between the screen and Chris' face back and forth. "But... this program would be genius, why...?"

"Your husband. Nick, pointed out that as great as this little piece of bits and bytes might be, it relies on data, I shouldn't have access to and that shouldn't be freely available. In hindsight, I have to agree and so I was more than willing to close my illegal access to the database down. I was doing that when I found that someone else had used the same backdoor as I."

Judy's eyes darted over to Nick, who stood there with his wry smile and opened up is arms in a mixture of a small bow and in surrender. "Nick, I don't understand why you would lie about all this to me." Her voice reflected some of the hurt she seemed to be feeling.

Nick answered her gaze a one deeply filled with the love he held for the smaller rabbit. "Because I didn't want to make you turn a blind eye to our rookie's misstep, Carrots. He was a little bit as overeager in his pursuit, just like a certain bunny I know and love. He's a good kid who I think will be a great addition to the ZPD. We just had to eliminate his little misstep into the gray area of the law."

The bunny quickly went over to her handsome fox and wrapped her arms around his waist in a tight embrace. An embrace Nick quickly answered. Chris watched the two and a short pang of envy flooded through him. As they stood there together, their love for each other was almost visible like an aura. If the feline was honest with himself, he wished he could exchange places with Nick. Not because he felt the same as the fox for the rabbit, but to experience what they had. He yearned to find a love like theirs, but had no idea how. Every mammal strove for something as precious as their love. Chris had to look away, it started to hurt to watch.

~o~

The three officers looked at each other, before they started to leave the police cruiser into the cold wind of the early evening in Tundra Town. When Chris stepped on the frozen pavement of the sidewalk and into the snow, he immediately started to shiver. His species was usually at home in the hot and dry savanna and this cold was always a deep shock for him.

All three officers looked up the facade of the warehouse that harbored the local server-farm for the district. Without a word spoken all three started to walk to the sole entry to the complex. When they stood before the steel door, Nick pointed at the keypad with additional magnetic reader.

"Anyone got an idea how we get past this little gimmick?"

Judy shrugged helplessly, when Chris remembered how his Academy credentials still worked on the precinct workstations.

"Has anyone of you a key-card to one of the archives in the ZPD?"

Both Judy and Nick nodded, Nick fishing out his wallet and presenting a plastic card with ZPD logo. With a weary look between the serval and the keypad he swiped the card through the attached reader. To the older officers' surprise and to the feline's chagrin, the door buzzer activated and Nick quickly pulled the door open.

Judy mouthed a "How?"

The serval answered quietly while shaking his head "I don't know, who was responsible for ZPD's system security, but he left holes in there, big enough to let an elephant walk through."

When the other two still looked doubtful, he continued "When my Academy credentials worked on Judy's workstation earlier, I got the suspicion that all the systems run on the same credential system. So I took the lucky guess that if one of you had a high enough level to locked areas in the precinct, than you might have it here as well."

Again all three started to move into the building, Judy in front, then Nick and Chris securing their rear. Illuminating their way with their flashlights and having their tranq-guns drawn and ready, they walked in single-file down the corridor till they stood again before a closed door. Looks were exchanged and everyone got into ready mode. Though none of them expected anyone to be there, they instinctively chose caution over carelessness.

Chris felt his nerves at the breaking point. Regardless how many times you have to train for these kind of situations in the Academy, it was a whole lot of difference on the job. If they really encountered someone here, there was no safety net, no second chance to undo mistakes. Now mistakes would mean lives. His own or that of his partners, mammals he thought so high of, he didn't want to think about being responsible for any harm befalling them.

Judy reached forward and opened the door, while the other two tried to secure the area. The door snapped open to a dark room with only a few service lights on at the far end. The noise of HVAC generators hummed along the noise of several fans in the rows of server racks.

Chris nodded into the room and whispered. "We need to find the local workstation. That should be at the other end of the room, where the lights are."

Slowly they made their way through the lines of racks, where the technical equipment glowed with LEDs. When they reached the end of the passage they saw the dimly table with the workstation, they were looking for.

After making sure they were really alone in the room and area, Chris holstered his tranq-gun and put on a pair of latex gloves before he leaned over the table and the keyboard. Hitting the spacebar a few times woke up the monitor, showing a logon screen. Using the same credentials as in the precinct, the feline gained access to the system. He had started browsing trough the filesystem when he noticed a curious icon on the screen that shouldn't be there. Using the mouse to double-click on the icon, he watched a window opening on the screen. Chris felt all blood draining out of his face as he realized what he saw in the window.

Scrambling away from the screen and table he screamed "Run! Get outta here!" Trying to grab the other two has he started to sprint towards the exit.

In the window a timer was counting down to zero and it had already reached "00:00:12" ...

~o~

 _ **Reviews and constructive critics are of course always welcome.**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Bits & Bytes … and Bunnies, too**

 _ **Disclaimer:**_ Disney owns all the original characters and all rights to Zootopia and it's universe. This is a work of fan-fiction.

Chapter 5

The room was dark. The only illumination came from the glow of the several computer monitors and one single deep blue lava-lamp. In the dim light the fur of the mammal laboring over the keyboard shimmered with a golden metallic hue, turning the her plain brown fur into something more exotic. This was contrasted by the sheer black ear tips and paws, a black far too deep than one that occured naturally. The paws, which were typing relentlessly on the keyboard, were also clad in golden tinted fingerless lace gloves. The stones of several earrings glittered on the rim of her long ears as a tiny golden nose ring in the shape of a carrot sparkled and winked.

The bunny's violet eyes narrowed behind her wire-rimmed glasses as she stared at the scrolling code on one of the screens. Her teeth kept on worrying her lower lip as she scanned the page. Her current project involved accessing – carefully avoiding the term 'hacking' even in her own mind – an insurance company server. She needed the data for details about car insurances and vehicle owners. She huffed with frustration as the security of that server was quiet good with several layers of protection. After hours of work, she had only just penetrated the third level. They were good, but she would prove to be better.

Olivia Hopps rarely thought about the moral implications of her actions. She simply saw her hacking as more of a challenge and a game pitting her wits and skills against those of the various IT departments responsible for the systems and their security. The bunny, just like her famous sister Judy, had always felt like the odd one out in the family. Sure, her family accepted her … mostly … but outside of that she was never considered 'popular' material by anyone. She was shorter than most of her siblings, myopic, plain brown fur, with a figure more following the round stature of their father than the lithe, sportive look of her sisters. This, when combined that with her tendency to relate to computers more than with her peers, quickly branded her one of the school nerds, resulting in ridicule or disinterest. Her sister Judy had removed herself from the crowd via choice and her ambition, Olivia was shunned and dismissed due to her plain looks and social awkwardness.

While still in high school, Olivia closed herself off from the world, an action fueled by her one disastrous attempt at dating. One handsome, popular buck, who had shown interest in her, taking her on a few chaste dates and flattering her into doing all his academic work, had started asking other prettier bunnies out. When the female rabbits asked about his 'relationship', Olivia overheard him laughing and saying that while she might be the perfect nerd-bunny to get him through school, she certainly wasn't attractive enough to rate as someone to love and mate with. Devastated, she turned to her computers, the internet and all the challenging opportunities it provided. This became her world. Soon her talent and intelligence drew other people to her. Some good, some from the shadier sides of the world wide web.

Directly after high school, Olivia left Bunnyburrow and her family behind to the glittering dream that was Zootopia. She convinced her parents that she was planning to enroll in Zootopia University – of course relying on her elder sister Judy. Her parents grudgingly let her go, but Olivia had other plans, that did not involve her famous never-do-wrong sister. She had her own contacts amid the darker venues on the internet who had provided her a nice tidy income. She used this money to set herself up with a nice little lair, filled with state-of-the-art computers and technology systems. She then turned to herself and experimented with clothing, jewelry and makeup to match her online persona. For the first time, she began to feel comfortable in her own fur. She even renamed herself online as the 'Golden Doe'.

The only sour note marring her new life was the need to keep up the facade for her parents of her as a simple university student. After examining the University program, she determined, it had nothing to offer her as she was already better than anything they could teach. She hated lying to her family, but she knew very well that any hint of her real activities would have them scrambling to sic Judy on her tail – not a prospect she wanted to experience. Plus, she did hate worrying them, so she even created a bright area in her lair for the inevitable muzzle-time calls from her family.

A pop-up page on one of the secondary monitors caught her attention. One of her flags had been triggered. She left these little programs in all the system she had gained access to, so she could monitor, if someone was looking for her handiwork. Tonight someone was looking through the event logs of the ZPD database system and had paid specific attention to her remote logins. The doe frowned, starring at the message.

 _'Why would someone suddenly be paying attention to those accesses?'_ she asked herself. The main breach happened quite while ago and had been organized by her latest employer. She also had been given strict instructions, if ever someone was starting to investigate theses accesses.

She shrugged and opened up a secure chat client that she usually used for business relationships. She logged herself into the correct channel with her alias.

 _Golden Doe has entered the channel._

 _Golden Doe:_ "Hello!"

 _White Fang has entered the channel._

 _White Fang:_ "What's up?"

 _Golden Doe:_ "Someone got nosy."

 _White Fang:_ "What Front?"

 _Golden Doe:_ "ZPD db"

 _White Fang:_ "..."

 _White Fang:_ "How bad?"

 _Golden Doe:_ "Enough to trigger."

 _White Fang:_ "..."

 _White Fang:_ "Okay, I want you to activate security protocol 1A on the workstation you started on."

 _Golden Doe:_ "Will do."

 _Golden Doe:_ "Do I want to know what it does?"

 _White Fang:_ "Less you know, the better. Just do the job and close the connection to that backdoor."

 _White Fang:_ "I will contact you in the next few days on how to continue on our little project. I hope you got further with the latest instance?"

 _Golden Doe:_ "Working on it."

 _White Fang:_ "That needs to go quicker! Hurry up!"

 _White Fang has left the channel._

 _Golden Doe:_ "..."

 _Golden Doe has left the channel._

"Gee, don't get your tail in a twist!" Olivia growled at the monitor and the chat she had just left. "No need to get snarky!" Though the bunny knew that her chat-partner couldn't hear her, she still had to voice her displeasure over his commanding presence. She didn't know a lot about him, her soft probing in the Dark-Net about her current employer had resulted little to no information, except that he was with a top government agency … or had been. And his mode of conversation certainly supported that image. A mammal that was used to giving orders and never expecting a 'No' for an answer.

She sighed and logged herself into the ZPD database system and entered the activation command for the security protocol 1A as she had been asked to and then erased her latest login from the logs and typed the prepared command to destroy her access account and everything related to it from the system. No one would ever be the wiser of her presence in the system. She had been a ghost and now she was gone completely. She typed enter and watched the screen as the little script washed away the traces of her digital being from the server.

~o~

Red and blue flashing lights reflected from the burning warehouse from the various police cruisers and trucks of the fire-brigade. Chris Longpaw was sitting on a block of concrete, that might once have been the basement of a chain-link fence, nursing his muzzle and bleeding nose for the second time today. One paw holding a cloth against his nose, the other holding up his tail. The usual black and white furred tip and been burned bald and the flesh was raw and painful.

His thoughts returned to the last hour – or was it only minutes – when his eyes had starred at the computer screen and realized, that the timer he saw could only mean one thing. He was barely able to remember their frantic flight out of the warehouse. In his mind he was thanking any higher power, that might be listening, that Judy and Nick hadn't hesitated when he had urged them to run. He seemed to recall all of them sprinting past, over and behind each other down the alley between the server-racks, out of the room into the corridor.

When they had reached the outer door, their time and luck had run out. An explosion started behind them, annihilating the server-room, pushing a shockwave after them, closely followed by a giant fireball. The shockwave pushed them out of the building, the door luckily already opened, throwing them at least 50 feet away from the warehouse. The following fire only missed them, barely, all of their scorched tails mute testimony of how close.

All three mammals were disoriented and tried to regain their senses. He remembered that Judy was the first to get back on her paws, starring at the now burning warehouse. She had tried to brush off her clothes, only to wince when her paws had run over the bruises of her hard landing. The bunny had looked around to her partners, quickly moving to Nick's side, when she had seen him trying to get off the concrete next to her.

"Nick, are you all right?" Her eyes had scanned over her husband, but hadn't been able to see any injury past the scorched tail. His green eyes had caught her violet ones and for a short while they had held each other's gaze. Wordlessly they had confirmed that they were both all right, that they were both alive, and the other still there. Breaking into a pained smirk while rolling to his side, the fox had mumbled under his breath,

"I think I am getting too old for this. What the hell did you do in there, kid?" His eyes scanned the area beside him for the serval. "Kid?"

Chris had been kneeling somewhere to the right of the Fox, holding his muzzle with both paws. In the flickering light of the burning building, the blood had been clearly visible between his fingers. He had turned slightly towards Nick and shook his head.

"Not me..." he had replied with a muffled tone, when he was interrupted by Judy's scream.

"Chris, your tail is still on fire!" Rapid shuffling could be heard, when the bunny had tried to get next to him to help.

The feline had turned around in the sudden panic, that Judy's outcry had triggered. His eyes had just stared at his still slowly burning tail tip, which he somehow didn't feel any pain from. _'I must be in shock.'_ His thoughts had run in circles in his mind as he continued to stare at his tail without lifting a finger to change it. Suddenly Judy had been next him, breaking him out of his stupor, quickly throwing her vest on his burning tail, before she had pressed it to the ground in an attempt to suffocate the flame.

Now the pain had finally registered, as Chris' eyes had widened in sudden recognition and a pressed curse had escaped between suddenly clenched teeth – a reaction, which caused his nosebleed to renew its intensity. Then the first wails of sirens could be heard in the distance.

The arrival of the rescue forces had been a blur to the serval. He had found his way to the concrete block he was still sitting on, while Judy and Nick had started to assist the fire brigade and talking to the arriving police officers.

Chris looked up from staring at his scorched tail when a massive shadow blotted out the burning inferno that had been the warehouse. Chief Bogo was standing in front of him with an unreadable expression on his face. When the feline was about to jump to his feet, the cape buffalo gestured to him to keep sitting.

"I almost got used to it finding Officer Hopps and Wilde in such a disaster, but I wouldn't expect you at the same site. Care to explain your involvement?"

The serval shot a glance past Bogo's frame to see if Nick or Judy were around, but he couldn't make them out in the midst of all the fire-fighters and returned his attention back on the waiting chief.

"We all came here to investigate an alarm in the computer system. After entering and examining the local workstation, we noticed a timer on the screen, which alerted us to evacuate the building immediately. We barely made it outside, sir!"

"What alarm, Longpaw? No one at the precinct noticed an alarm especially not with the tech mammals. So why would you, a mammal without access to the system, or Officer Hopps or Wilde receive such an alarm specific for an unmanned station at the other side of town?"

Chris felt the sweat to build up on his paws and his scorched tail starting to lash out in nervous agitation, causing him to wince in the flares of pain. Again he looked around for the other two officers, a fact not going unnoticed by the buffalo opposite of him. With no Judy or Nick around, the feline kept his mouth shut and looked to the ground with a mixture of defiance and defeat on his face.

"I want you to answer my question, Longpaw. Warehouses don't explode on their own, especially not when officers under my command are performing an investigation in said warehouse. Even when there doesn't seem to be a viable reason for the investigation. I repeat, what alarm did you receive?" Bogo thundered in his most intimidating voice. Still staring at the ground before his feet, Chris answered in pressed quiet voice.

"I don't have an answer for you, sir. Please don't make me … " He stopped and shook his head desperately. How had this first day turned into a nightmare.

"It seems it's all my fault." he whispered in a defeated voice, before he bit his lips and buried his face in his paws.

Chief Bogo snorted and stared down at the miserable form that was one of his rookie officers in front of him. Again warding against a rising headache by rubbing the bridge between his eyes the buffalo growled quietly.

"Move your rear to the hospital together with Hopps and Wilde and get yourself treated. But this isn't over, Longpaw. Tomorrow I want my answer and I want a plausible one. Either that or your badge!" With these words the cape buffalo turned on the spot and returned towards the leader of the fire brigade leaving Chris sitting there with his thoughts.

~o~

 _ **Reviews and constructive critics are of course always welcome.**_


End file.
